


Our Separate Peace

by Notsofakingchill



Category: A Separate Peace - John Knowles
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff without Plot, M/M, cheesy as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notsofakingchill/pseuds/Notsofakingchill
Summary: Gene just wanted to teach Finny some français but he just had to coax Gene outta the closet.





	Our Separate Peace

**Author's Note:**

> I literally wrote this back in high school and I found it and I thought to myself “might as well post it.” So here ya go it’s p cheesy but meh.

My breath got caught as I took in his appearance. His figure was slumped against the trunk of the tree. His hair gleamed against the sun's rays. The fringes of his hair covered his closed eyes. Even when asleep he manages to look breathtaking with his tall nose, tanned skin, and parted lips. He let out a few snores making me chuckle. After a minute of admiring his profile I called out his name. His startled expression released butterflies inside my stomach. 

He turned his gaze towards me, "Hey Pal!" Finny exclaimed. His eye smile didn't hide the cool blue-green color of his irises. His smile wide and bright putting the sun to shame.

He picked up the bag beside him and ran towards me, "I have our trunks," he said as he lightly shook the bag.

I smiled at him and exclaimed, "Let's go!" 

We changed underneath the tree taking off our Devon uniforms. As Finny took off his blazer I made a sound of disapproval as I saw the pink shirt he wore underneath it. He just smiled cheekily at me and took off his pink shirt. I resisted the urge to gasp as I saw his muscular form. His shoulders were broad and fitted his form. The faint out line of his abdomen muscles are more emphasized and his pectorals were bigger than the last time I saw them. I turned my head away and focused on the grass that seemed way more interesting than the body next to me.

When we got our trunks on, we climbed to the top of the tree and stared at the lake below it. I was getting ready to jump when he suddenly took my right hand with his left. I looked at him confused. 

"I can't let you fall again," he mused.

I'm 900% sure he can hear my heart beating, "It's okay Finny, that was one time it won't happen again." 

I tried to let go of his hand but his grip remained strong. I sighed and gave in to his request. He showed his stupid grin and soon we jumped down the lake together with our fingers intertwined. 

"Woo!!" Finny cried out in satisfaction as his head popped out of the water's surface.

I floated on my back basking in the coolness of the water against my skin. Suddenly, Finny started splashing water in my direction accidentally getting me to inhale some of it. I sputtered around coughing and soon Finny was beside me laughing while patting my back.

I punched his shoulder, "That wasn't funny you ass," I grumbled.

He laughed and swam closer to me, his face centimeters from mine.  
He whispered, "Should I give you mouth to mouth?" 

My flustered expression caused him to howl out in laughter again. I pushed his head down the water as revenge. Then Finny put his arms around my legs and lifted me up and threw me back down on the water. I laughed as I got back up the surface. After playing around in the water, we decided to go back under the shade of the tree and eat the snacks he packed. 

While he ranted about how the World Wars weren't real and were created by "big, fat, ugly men", I chewed on my ham sandwich and nodded every now and then on his comments. My eyes trailed on the single drop of water sliding out of his hair. It traveled down his chin to his Adam's apple towards his collar bones, through his abs and disappeared underneath his trunks. 

"Gene!" Finny exclaimed, "Did you hear what I said?" 

I blinked at him with a dumbfounded face, "Uhhh..." 

He looked down at his body and smirked. His smirk never left his face as he looked at me. He suddenly stood up and started flexing in front of me. 

"What the hell..." 

I threw his towel at him and grumbled, "Stop doing that you weirdo."

"But you like it," he teased as he continued flexing. 

I rolled my eyes and picked up my clothes, "I'm leaving."

I walked towards the Devon building when Finny wrapped his warm and muscular arms around my body, "Hey, I’m sorry okay? Don't leave," he whined as he nuzzled his nose against my neck.

I thanked the lord that he couldn't see the faint blush I had on my cheeks. I sighed and leaned back against him and he smiled against my neck as he tightened his arms around me. I lowered my head hiding my smile, but to no avail he picked it up and chuckled huskily against my ear.

"Forgive me?" He asked tilting his head to look at me with his puppy eyes.

I'm surprised I haven't gone into cardiac arrest with my heart beating this fast, "Fine, but on one condition," I sternly said. "You have to let me tutor you in French." 

He whined but let out a defeated sigh, "Alright, alright." 

"Good," I smiled in satisfaction and tried to walk but his arms stopped me. "Would you let go of me?!?" I exclaimed at him with a flustered face.

I walked ahead and heard him laughing behind me. I swear I'm going to die from cardiac arrest one day and it'll all be his fault!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Je ne don't give a damn pas about français, Gene," he dead panned as soon as he sat down on my bed.

"It's either this or you fail the semester. French is the only class you're not passing," I scolded.

He groaned and rolled around my bed while hugging one of my pillows. I rolled my eyes at the sight and grabbed the pillow from him.

"Let's get started so we can get this over with."

"Fine," He pouted. 

I smiled at his childishness and gave him the French book we were assigned to read in class, "Let's practice first. Pick one of the short passages to translate.”

He flipped through the book for a few minutes and chose one, "I remember going over this one during class," he stated.

I raised a brow at this, "Prove it." 

He cleared his throat and began:  
"Everyone's eyes were on her. Her porcelain skin, her silky hair, her breath taking smile; surely this attracted every man in the room and made every woman envy her beauty and grace." 

I had another book and skimmed over the passage with him. Not bad.

He continued,"Running from her charms did not do me good. The craving for her presence won over my pride. I have my fair share of good looks, but it wasn't enough to win her over."

I was about to stop him and say he did well but when I looked up, his eyes were on me reciting the passage without looking at the book.

"Her heart radiated the warmth that every man craved. And for the many she attracted, she chose a lucky man to share that warmth with him and him only. With the warmth gone every other man fled to find another. But for me I looked at the bright light burning from her, yearning the warmth it gave," he paused and leaned towards me while I leaned back. My throat was stuck as he stared at me intently.

"Later that night I met her at the balcony. I took her hand..." Never breaking my eye contact, he took one of my hands, letting my book fall on the ground, "...and gazed into her eyes. The universe was swimming in them," What the hell is going on?!? "I leaned closer to get a better look at them and whispered," he hovered his lips over my ear, "I love you.”

This is the time when I wished the ground would swallow me whole so I could disappear. I cleared my throat and gently pushed him away. I cast my eyes on the floor hiding my cheeks which were on fire. I picked up my book that was long forgotten and stood up. 

"That was really good. I-I guess you don't need help after all. All you have to do is stop being so goddamn lazy and actually do your work!" I stuttered. Tongue don't fail me now!

I walked towards the door when I felt a gentle tug on my wrist. 

"Gene," he began in a serious tone. "Please look at me."

I bit my lip and slowly inhaled and finally faced him. He let go of my wrist and looked at me with soft eyes.

"I know you like me," he stated.

I panicked inside, however I didn't let it show on my face. I gave him a smile and said, "Why else would I be friends with you?"

"You know that's not what I meant,"  
His face remained the same and so did his tone. Anxiety started to kick in.

I never told anyone about my feelings for him. I knew how they would react. Disgusted. Homosexuality is frowned upon here and I know the minute I let someone know about it is when my life ends. However, I didn't care about what anyone else thought. I knew that if everyone else thought of it as disgusting and wrong, what makes Finny any different? If I tell someone about my feelings for him, how do I know it's not going to reach his ears? What if he didn't want to be by my side anymore? What if..?

"Well how am I suppose to interpret it?" I asked trying to even out my voice.

"You have feelings for me Gene. Beyond friendship," he claimed.

I feel lightheaded, "I-I don't know what you're talking about Phineas."

He reached out and put the palm of his hand on my chest, "Then why is your heart beating so fast?”

I frowned, "That's because you're making me nervous with all this-this crazy talk," I exclaimed as I pushed his hand away.

"You like me."

Stop.

"The way you look at me every time you think I'm not looking shows it."

Stop it.

"I couldn't believe it at first. That you're a f-" That's it.

I punched him in the face and my whole face was red with anger.

"Yes, I like you!" I spat. "I like you so much that it's been keeping me from sleeping at night since I think about you so much!"

He held his cheek as he looked at me with his wide cool blue-green eyes.

"When I realized my feelings for you I was afraid. I was so scared about this feeling of actually romantically liking you. That's why I ignored you for 2 weeks a couple of months ago!" Tears were forming in my eyes and it's getting harder to breath.

"But during those two weeks I realized how much I needed you. It was torture ignoring you for 2 weeks. I thought I'd forget about my feelings if I ignored you. Obviously it didn't work. So I kept it to myself. I knew if it was revealed to anyone, you'll eventually find out and you'd be so disgusted that-" I gulped and let a tear drop from my eye. "That you'd leave me."

He took a step towards me but that didn't stop me from talking, "If you want to call me a fag then obviously you're just like everyone else."

He took another step, “No one will accept me."

Another, "Not even you."

He enveloped me into his arms and I didn't have the strength to stop him. He looked me in the eye. God, I feel so pathetic right now. Can I please just drop dead and never wake up?  
I tried to avoid his eyes however he tilted my chin so my eyes are fixed towards his gaze. 

"Stupid," he muttered. I closed my eyes and waited for a punch, a spit, a push, or something else violent from him. 

Instead I felt soft lips on mine. It only lasted for a couple of seconds and soon he pulled away. I opened my eyes and saw his heartwarming gaze. My mouth was parted open like a fish out of the water.

He lazily smiled at me cocking his head to the side, "I was going to say you're a fighter. For rebelling against the social norms and struggling to accept what you are and how you feel. It's not easy to do that," he pecked my parted lips.

"That's why I have fallen for you Gene Forrester," he sighed. At this point I was ready to sob.

"Also because of how cute you are when you get mad, how sexy you are when you're concentrating on something, your warm heart, and the rare smiles you seldom show," he smiled that wide smile that I love. "So stop crying. You look horrible."

I snorted at his remark. He wiped my eyes and face dry with his thumb. After that he started to pepper my face with kisses and I couldn't hold back my giggles. He kissed my forehead, my nose, and last my lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thx for reading the fic I wrote instead of actually writing the book report for it.


End file.
